Master of Nets
by Missng
Summary: A/U - Hyuuga Hinata has everything - except her freedom. After running away from home, she meets a poor fisherman. What is it about him that makes her think life could be different? Loosely based on the tale surrounding the Master of Nets garden in China.
1. Prologue

By Missng

She received her first porcelain doll when she was eight; a beautiful gift that had been the envy of all her friends. Like any eight year-old would, she loved the object dearly. Its pale skin, silken hair, and beautiful clothes were her delight. Year after year she received other gifts to accompany the doll: intricately painted shoji screens to house the doll, embroidered silk kimonos to adorn its body, a small tea set to play with. All these things she naively treasured, until one day, the doll broke.

She was twelve and holding a tea ceremony with her lovely doll. Both of them dressed in kimonos, they sat upon pillows, the tea set filled with lukewarm water. It had been an accidental nudge as she poured the doll tea, but that was all it had taken for the fragile thing to topple over and shatter upon the hardwood floor. As she stared tearfully at the fragmented pieces, her first thoughts were how angry her father would be at her carelessness. Hands over her mouth to stifle her sobs, she looked around for somewhere to hide… and all she saw were painted screens. She rose to her feet to run to her room, but the beautifully embroidered kimono limited her movements. Tripping over her feet, she fell with a dull thud, landing next to her broken doll. She tried to get up, but instead cried out in pain as her hand was cut by one of the fragments. It was then that a servant finally burst into the room, clucking her tongue over the young heiress' clumsiness and herding her towards her room to bandage her wound.

It was just an accident - she needn't worry about the doll, the servant cooed. Not to worry, not to worry, hush, dear, hush. The doll could be replaced easily. So long as mistress was safe, the doll could be replaced. And she had been hopeful. Drying her tears with the back of her hand, she thought everything would be alright. The doll would be replaced. It was simply an accident. She watched as the servants swept up the pieces – a mouth, an eye, a hand – her father would buy her a new doll in a few weeks. He wasn't angry. She had not been hurt. The doll would be replaced.

The doll would be replaced.

_His_ doll was not hurt.

It was just an accident.


	2. Chapter 1

By Missng

The Land of Fire was so named due to the blazing sunsets that were visible from its shores, making the sea dance with fiery waves that licked the edges of the land. Konohagakure was a small fishing village along its coast, so named due to the many trees that were scattered throughout the village. The shoreline, however, was a different matter entirely. The only trees to be seen there were those that had been cut down, fitted together, and were seaworthy enough to be used as fishing vessels. Like a graveyard, the boats lined the beaches just above the tide line, nets mended and spread over the hulls like a blanket as they waiting for dawn, when they would once again take to the ocean.

The boats made of steel, however, feared nothing. Moored at the docks, they came in to shore well after dark and with much larger catches of fish. Strong nets needed no mending, and so the ships stood, tall and proud, waiting for morning when they would once again go out and conquer the sea. Owned by wealthy nobles, these boats were run by a hired crew, usually those too poor to own boats and nets.

Hyuuga Hiyashi was by far the wealthiest fisherman in Konohakagure. His boats were not the largest, nor were they the most numerous, yet he managed to always bring in the largest catch of fish. Whether it was by uncanny luck or pure skill no one knew, but it was because of this that he was one of the most powerful men in the village – a fact seemingly overlooked solely by his eldest daughter, Hyuuga Hinata. Normally a quiet and obedient child, the servants had been complaining about her rebellious behavior to the point where Hiyashi felt the need to finally step in and end her childish actions. Ever since the death of his wife, Hiyashi had solely focused on his business and had left the upbringing of his children to the servants. However, considering his eldest daughter's age, perhaps it was time for him to think of possible business opportunities for her.

Illuminated by the fading light of the day, a servant coughed lightly before tapping on the wooden frame of the door. "Hinata-sama," the servant called through the thin screen, "Hinata-sama, I'm sorry to disturb your studies, but your father would like to see you now." Pausing to listen for an answer, the servant frowned when the only response was silence from the other side of the screen. "Hinata-sama?" the servant cautiously slid the screen door open and looked inside the study. Books and papers were neatly stacked upon a wooden desk with a still smoking lantern sitting on the floor nearby. With a quiet groan of dismay, the servant muttered, "Oh no, not again…" before hurrying out of the room and down the hall.

-o-

It had been so long since she had felt the cool ocean wind upon her face. Lavender eyes drank in the vast expanse of water that lay before her, captivated by the fiery array of colors they displayed. Closing her eyes, Hinata inhaled with happiness, letting the smell of salt overwhelm her senses. Confined by so many years to merely looking at the world through the colors of an artist's palette, to finally be able to see the world with her own eyes was an overwhelming joy she could not explain. Dressed in a colorful yukata, Hinata's attire stood out amongst the tattered clothing of the fishermen that were on the docks, those just returning home from a long day at sea on the steel fishing vessels. Her wooden geta _'click-clack!'_-ed against the weathered wood as she wandered the docks, simply observing the going-on's.

It was all so _fascinating_.

Men shouted to one another in deep baritones as each ship was secured to the dock. Large crates were lifted with ease and stacked on top of one another all along the pier. Hinata jumped and clasped a hand to her nose as a net full of still-flopping fish landed near her. "Careful, miss!" an apologetic worker called to her from behind a machine, "This is no place for a woman!" Embarrassed by the attention, Hinata quickly scurried off towards another area of the docks where she would be less in the way. On and on she walked, dodging workers and skirting piles of smelling fish. Finally, she managed to find a quiet area where she could sit and watch as the men wrapped up their work day, just as the first stars began to show in the sky and the fiery sun sank into the inky darkness of the ocean.

Sinking down onto the splintered planks and leaning against a low crate near the edge of the docks, Hinata faced the ocean and quietly listened to the sound of the waves, her feet dangling over the edge. Her long, dark hair moved gracefully in the night breeze, and passersby would note that she looked almost goddess-like as she sat there. Hinata would have told them differently. This was not the first time she had attempted to escape the compound. The first few times she had been caught and dragged back to her room, struggling and crying about wanting to "see the village." The servants had been sympathetic, but stern, and hoped that bringing in fresh flowers daily would quell her desire to escape. Instead, the opposite happened.

They made it worse.

There was nothing for her in the Hyuuga compound. Surrounded by screens and books while the rest of the village was out _here_ surrounded by the world and _doing_ things, while she was forced to sit and be told what to do, how to act, who to be. She hated it. And for as much as she hated it, there was nothing she could do about it. She was simply a porcelain doll.

A wave of hopelessness washed over her, and in frustration she kicked off one of her clogs, sending it spiraling into the ocean. There was a sudden sense of pride in her act of rebellion, quickly followed by remorse. "Oh no… why did I do that?" she asked aloud, her voice soft and meek though she was speaking at her normal volume. Getting on her hands and knees, she leaned over the edge of the dock, hoping to see her geta floating back to her.

Something glinted in the dim lighting and Hinata edged forward as far as she could go to get a better look. Perhaps it was her geta? Again a glimmer, and Hinata's hope rose. Maybe, just maybe…

"Aah!"

Wet and silvery, a fish jumped out of the water, splashing Hinata with water and startling her greatly. A defensive reflex, Hinata put up her hands to shield her face and, though her balance had always been quite good, she should have known better. With a gasp, Hinata found herself tumbling head first into the dark water's below. Terror enveloped her before the cold waters did.

She couldn't swim.

Salt water stung her eyes and filled her mouth. Kicking and flailing, Hinata tried desperately to keep her head above water, but her robes were dragging her under. The cold numbed her to her bones, and unseen things pulled at her legs, her arms, her neck, coaxing her to come with them to the depths of the ocean. She tried to scream for help, but all she could manage were gurgles and sputters. Her strength waned and her lungs burned for oxygen, but the ocean was winning. She was under, the waters dragging her down to the bottom. There was no moonlight under the waters. A few bubbles were her last cries for help before she slowly began to loose consciousness.

She barely felt the strong arms that grabbed her and brought her back to the surface.

Once her head was free of the water, Hinata gasped for air, coughing and sputtering. Her nose and throat burned painfully, and her eyes stung from the sea water. Still panicking, she began to flail again, until a low and good natured voice calmed her. "Hey! Don't struggle, I've got you. Heh heh. Pretty girls like you shouldn't be swimming at night dressed like that."

Before long, Hinata found herself lying on the dock, coughing up sea water in between trying to thank the man that had saved her life. The man, whose hair was white in the moonlight just chuckled as he crouched down next to her, patting her back and muttering things like, "Take your time, no rush… It's called 'sea water' for a reason, no need to take it with you."

Slowly, Hinata managed to sit up and feebly wiped sea salt from her eyes. Rolling to her knees, she bowed deeply to her rescuer. "T-thank you…um…" she trailed off, unsure of how to address the man. Throwing his head back, the man laughed, deep and hearty, revealing two thick bands of red paint stretching from his lower eyelid to the bottom of his cheek.

"Just call me Jiraya," he said with a cheeky wink.


End file.
